Observations all along the line - Kimball & the Southern Panhandle First

Teams from Kimball, Banner counties compete at state 4-H contest

The senior 4-H livestock judging team from Kimball consisting of Tyler Shaw, Rowdy Keller, Clay Keller and Payton Flower placed second out of 32 teams at the state 4-H Livestock Judging Contest held in Lincoln on June 30.

Individually, Tyler Shaw placed sixth, Rowdy and Clay Keller placed ninth and 10th, respectively, and Payton Flower was 15th out of 136 contestants. The team is coached by Tessa Shaw.

In placing second, the team is eligible to represent Nebraska at the Ak-Sar-Ben Livestock Judging Contest held in Omaha, as well one of three national livestock judging contests.

In the senior Skill-a-thon event, the team consisting of Christina Grubbs, Jacque Stauffer, Savannah Jordan and Paige Cross from Banner County placed seventh. The Skill-a-thon consists of six stations where participants are asked to display both their knowledge and practical skills related to animal feeding, market evaluation, quality assurance, breeds, livestock equipment and meats evaluation.

The Nebraska State 4-H Premier Animal Science Events (PASE) are held at the end of June on the University of Nebraska-Lincoln East Campus. This highly competitive event includes approximately 500 youth from across Nebraska and includes competitions in Livestock, Poultry and Meats Judging as well as Livestock Quiz Bowl and Skill-a-thon.